Week 7: Approaches and Strategies for Working Today and Delivering Creative Services
Lecture 1: Kenjiro Kirton Hato
It was really interesting listening to the conversation between Alec Dodson and Ken Kirton. The conversation provided me with a valuable insight into how Hato was formed and expanded as a business.
Some points I had taken from the conversation were Ken and his co-founder during their final year projects wanting to push the boundaries of graphic design as a service based industry.
They were inspired by their tutor coming from the design practice Obake who taught them how design could be a tool for engaging with communities, culture, and society in innovative ways.
It was from this source of inspiration that Hato was formed.
Hato Press the other half of the business was aimed at creating a support structure for their own practice and the creative community they aspired to work with. Utilising the risograph printer Hato collaborated with other artists and designers, fostering a sense of community and networking. This approach also applies to their client relationships, where they aim to create a partnership and involve clients in the design process.
Overall it was interesting to see Hato’s commitment to creativity, community, and purpose-drive design, their willingness to explore new challenges and opportunities in design edcaution on an international scale.
Lecture 2: Axel Peemoeller and Rita Matos, New Studio
In the second podcast lecture, we hear from Rita Matos and Axel Peemoeller of New Studio, an international collective of designers. Rita started as a graphic designer in Lisbon, doing cultural work and freelancing for underground music events. Axel, originally from Germany, worked in Australia and New York, preferring collaborations over running a traditional studio.
New Studio operates as a group, but each member retains their individual freedom. They communicate through Skype and other tools across different time zones. They meet in person when possible, and their connections bring diverse projects from various locations.
Projects are handled by individuals or assigned based on availability and interest. Payment is transparent and distributed fairly according to contributions.
Overall, New Studio's collaborative approach and diverse members lead to exciting opportunities and growth for everyone involved.
Lecture 3: Practitioner Case Studies
It was interesting listening to these different opinions explaining the profound impact of globalisation and technological advancements on graphic design being taught in universities like Falmouth with Falmouth Flexbile.
Simon Manchipp, talks about the positives of globalisation, where diverse cultures can influence design and creative thinking. Design education can go beyond traditional limits, and students nowadays engage in multiple creative areas at once. The use of Minimal Viable Products allows for quick prototyping and effective idea presentation to clients.
“Ideas that are traditionally not in a design sphere or a creative sphere can start to positively influence the designer and creative thinking” (Manchipp, S. 2023)
Sarah Boris highlights how technology, especially social media, fosters global connections and opens up new perspectives for students to collaborate worldwide.
“I think advancement in technology allow us to be more connected, and recently I don’t want to advertise social media but I find that instagram has allowed me to make a lot of connections worldwide.” (Boris,S. 2023)
Adrian Talbot reflects on the potential of remote learning and how technology can offer courses to students worldwide.
“Who knows what’s possible going forward, we can’t predict can we? We’re on one of those curves. The idea of studying remotely is not one I had considered due to thing being so different when I studied. But why not?” (Talbot,S. 2023)
Sam Winston shares a balanced view, acknowledging the benefits of technology in accessing vast information while also considering the challenge of fully embodying information beyond screens.
Regarding creative opportunities for students on the global online course, speakers emphasize greater openness, diversity, and collaboration. Simon Manchipp believes Falmouth's online course can become a platform for massive collaborative dialogue, fostering positive interactions among students worldwide. Julian House encourages meaningful communication and collaborations with peers from diverse backgrounds, leading to exciting creative outcomes. Kristoffer Soelling highlights the importance of finding like-minded individuals online to explore niche areas of graphic design and discuss global visual culture.
Research Task:
These are the research tasks for this week, please share your findings on the ideas wall and on your blog:
Find a variety of cutting edge, global examples of collaborative creative practice that push boundaries and take risks.
TeamLap Japan
TeamLab is a multi-disciplinary art collective based in Tokyo. They push boundaries by creating jaw-dropping displays of digital art installations. These pieces of work blur the line between art, technology, and nature. Audience participation is a large part of the experiences they produce and this participation transforms the viewer’s experience.
TeamLab exhibitions have been held in cities worldwide, including New York, London, Paris, Singapore, Silicon Valley, Beijing, and Melbourne among others. (TeamLab, 2023)
ArtScience Museum Singapore
Another example of a collaborative creative practice that pushes boundaries is the ArtScience Museum in Singapore. Similar to TeamLab the they combine disciplines by bringing together Artists, Scientists and researchers to create engaging and immersive exhibits for the museum by blending Science and Art.
An example of this is evident in an exhibit of theirs currently on display:
Future World: Where Art Meets Science.
This experience takes people on a journey of adventure into another world by use of digital interactive installations that sync to users mobile phone bringing in an AR element to the experience.
Reflect on how you can work in new collaborative ways as a designer.
As a designer I am always looking for new and different ways in which I can collaborate with other creative individuals. There are several ways I do this, usually If I am looking for some sort of inspiration I tend to go on Behance, which is not only a great platform for keeping up to date on latest trends, but it is a good source for collaborating with other designers by simply connecting with their profile.
Another way I like to collaborate is by going to design exhibitions in my local area, Headingley in Leeds. Headingley offers a very arty scene and there is always something going on, there are usually design or art exhibition evenings by Leeds Beckett University students held in local coffee shops. These small gathering offer great opportunities to get in touch with creatives alike. In addition to attending exhibitions smaller exhibitions I do hope to go to larger scale events in the future. I know that this October the MA Graphic Design course has its first meet up event at Dutch Design Week, one of the largest design event in Europe.
References:
•Manchipp, S. (2023) Practitioner Case Studies, Week 7: Approaches and Strategies for Working Today and Delivering Creative Services. Falmouth University. Available at: https://flex.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/1165/pages/week-1-practitioner-case-studies?module_item_id=63372 (Accessed: July 23, 2023).
.• Lab, T. (2023) TeamLab, teamLab. Available at: https://www.teamlab.art/ (Accessed: 17 August 2023).
